Mint Julep Peaches

This recipe is from Nigella Lawson's "Forever Summer", and I have always wanted to try it. So, with peaches in abundance right now in Niagara, today was the day. I love how she writes a short introductory blurb to all of the recipes in her cookbooks. Reading it, you feel like Nigella is right beside you in the kitchen, telling you all of her stories - like you were an old girlfriend of hers, and you two were catching up over a cup of coffee and and an afternoon in the kitchen making these peaches. It's really quite nice. Especially the story that accompanies this recipe. I remember vividly reading "The Great Gatsby" in high school, and utterly fell in love with it. I adore this woman, and find practically anything that she says, does, and makes so pleasing. And these peaches do not disappoint.

The peaches this year have been exceptional, as has most produce. But this is by far my favourite time of the summer, when both peaches and corn are ripe and begging to be eaten. I'd have to say that a plate of these peaches at the end of a meal of simple fire roasted sweet corn cobs slathered in unsalted butter and coarse salt would be be my idea of perfect summer eats.

Ok...now, the recipe calls for bourbon, which I don't have. So, I thought I would substitute with 1/2 rye whiskey and 1/2 spiced rum. I have no idea if the flavour of this is even close to bourbon (and frankly, I don't really care all that much to ever know), but I thought it sounded pretty tasty. I haven't come across white peaches here in Niagara, so I used freestone yellow peaches, which are just fabulous right now. And for the mint? Well, let's just say I had no problem sourcing that. It's growing like a weed in our yard this year. :)

These peaches really are tremendous. The flavours are really refreshing for summer, and look how beautiful they are on the plate!!!!

Anyhow...here's how you do it.


Mint Julep Peaches - Nigella Lawson "Forever Summer"

"There's something about mint juleps that I associated with the deep heat of midsummer. I have to say this association is an entirely literary one. I've never sat in the wilting sun drinking a mint julep in my life; the most I can muster is a few in cold college rooms in my cocktail-drinking student years (which certainly dates me). "The Great Gatsby", that pivotal scene, when they're all sitting around in the airless heat, deranged, before everything happens, drinking mint juleps. Anyway, there is something intensely summery - leafy, fresh, spicily aromatic - about these peaches, poached in sugar-syrup and bourbon and sprinkled with mint. Scotch whisky doesn't seem to have the mellow, rounded spiciness of bourbon, but it that's all you've got in the house..."

700 mL water
700 g caster sugar
250 mL bourbon
8 white-fleshed peaches
small bunch of fresh mint

Put the water, sugar and 200 mL of the bourbon in a wide-bottomed saucepan, swirl about to help the sugar start dissolving a bit, and then put on the hob over medium heat and bring to the boil. Let is boil away for about 5 minutes or so and then turn the heat down so that they syrup simmers; you want pronounced but not fierce bubbles. Cut the peaches in half and remove the stones and then lower these halves, so that they fit snugly, cut side down, in the pan (I find I get four to six halves at a time, depending on the pan I'm using) and poach for a couple of minutes before turning them over and poaching for another 2-3 minutes cut side up; obviously the ripeness of the peaches will determine exactly how long they need cooking. (And if the peaches are very unripe, it will be much easier to remove the stones after cooking.) The best way of testing the peaches is to prod the cut sides with a fork; you'll be serving the fruit hump side up later and don't want any fork marks to mar the pink-cheeked beauty of these pale-fleshed peaches.

When they feel tender but not flabbily soft, remove with a slotted spoon to a dish and continue till you've cooked all the peaches. Pour the juices that have collected in the plate - pink from the colour of the skins - back into the poaching liquid, itself blush-deepened from cooking the fruit, then measure 200 mL of the liquid into a small saucepan. Add the remaining 50 mL of bourbon to this pan, put on the heat and boil 'till reduced by half.

While this is happening, carefully peel off the skins; this should be easy enough. And on cooking, you'll see that the rosy fuzz leaves behind its markings on the white fruit, so that each peach half is tenderly coloured with an uneven pink.

You can leave the peach halves, cut side down, covered with clingform, on a plate 'till you need them. Should the peaches start turning brown on standing, just spritz with lime and their unsullied beauty will be restored.

Let the reduced syrup cool in a jug somewhere nearby; you can freeze the remaining poaching liquid to use the next time you want to make these (just top up with water and a dash or two of bourbon when you reheat). Before serving, pour some of the thick, pink-bronze syrup over the peaches and scatter the torn-off mint leaves, some left whole, some roughly chopped, on top.

Serves 6-8.